Footwear with heel attachment and method of use

ABSTRACT

An article of clothing is disclosed herein. The article of clothing includes an item of footwear, a heel accessory, and a heel accessory fastener. The article of clothing is useful for providing a customizable item of footwear to which a heel accessory may be fastened with the use of a heel accessory fastener.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is related to and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/430,348 filed Dec. 5, 2016, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present disclosure. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art nor material to the presently described or claimed inventions, nor that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.

1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of boots, shoes and leggings and more specifically relates to shoe attachments.

2. DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

Modern shoes are available in many different sizes, styles, colors and finishes. With children being encouraged more, now than ever before, to express their own sense of style and individuality, it's no wonder there are so many unique shoes on the market. One drawback to having so many different shoes on the market is that many of those unique shoes are mass produced, meaning that no matter how unique your shoe is to you, there may be thousands of other pairs just like them.

Another significant drawback to having such a wide variety of shoes available for purchase is that as children grow and change, so do their interests and style sensibilities as well as the trends. This inevitable change can lead to a pair of shoes getting very little use before the child is ready to move onto the next pair. The constant transition of style preferences and trends can lead to exorbitant costs when trying to keep up with the current style. A shoe that offers highly customizable and interchangeable style accessories could help mitigate the unending transition of style. A suitable solution is desired.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,546,649 to Tobias relates to a plush toy for mounting on a shoe. The described plush toy for mounting on a shoe includes a plush toy that is capable of easily being detachably mounted on a shoe having a shoelace. The plush toy comprises a body having top and bottom sides and front and back ends and at least one mechanism for detachably mounting the body on the shoe without unlacing the shoelace. Preferably the body comprises at least one hole extending through the body for insertion of a shoelace. A young child can easily and quickly decorate his shoe with the plush toy.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known shoe attachment art, the present disclosure provides a novel system for attaching a decorative plush toy to children's footwear. The general purpose of the present disclosure, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide footwear with a heel attachment.

An article of clothing is disclosed herein. The article of clothing includes an item of footwear including a sole and an at least partial foot covering configured to attach said item of footwear to a foot, a heel accessory configured to attach to the item of footwear and to cover at least a portion of the heel of the foot, and a heel accessory fastener configured to attach the heel accessory to the item of footwear.

According to another embodiment, a method for fastening a heel accessory to an item of footwear is also disclosed herein. The method for fastening a heel accessory to an item of footwear may include the steps of donning an item of footwear, fastening a heel accessory to the item of footwear, unfastening the heel accessory from the item of footwear, and replacing the heel accessory with another heel accessory.

For purposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the invention have been described herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any one particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein. The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings and detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The figures which accompany the written portion of this specification illustrate embodiments and methods of use for the present disclosure, a system for attaching a decorative plush toy to children's footwear, constructed and operative according to the teachings of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the article of clothing during an ‘in-use’ condition, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a detail of the article of clothing, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of a detail of the article of clothing of FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is another perspective view of a detail of the article of clothing, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a method attaching a heel accessory to an item of footwear, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The various embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As discussed above, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a shoe attachment and more particularly to a system for attaching a decorative plush toy to children's footwear as used to improve the attaching a heel accessory to an item of footwear.

Generally, the system for attaching a decorative plush toy to children's footwear provides children with a fun and customizable footwear experience. The system for attaching a decorative plush toy to children's footwear may be applied to any style of item of footwear having an at least partial foot covering which allows a heel accessory to be attached to the item of footwear. The heel accessory may be configured as a plush toy having at least one pair of arms which hugs the heel of an item of footwear as though they are riding along with the user. The arms may be attached at either side of the item of footwear, at least one on the right and at least one on the left side of the item of footwear to give the plush toy the appearance of hugging the heel of the user's item of footwear 110.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings by numerals of reference, there is shown in FIGS. 1-4, various views of an article of clothing 100.

FIG. 1 shows an article of clothing during an ‘in-use’ condition 50, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Here, the article of clothing 100 may be beneficial for use by a user 40 to attaching a heel accessory to an item of footwear. As illustrated, the article of clothing 100 may include an item of footwear 110 including a sole and an at least partial foot covering configured to attach said item of footwear 110 to a foot. The article of clothing 100 may further include a heel accessory 120 configured to attach to the item of footwear 110 and to cover at least a portion of the heel of the foot. Furthermore, the article of clothing 100 may include a heel accessory fastener 130 (FIG. 2) configured to attach the heel accessory 120 to the item of footwear 110.

According to one embodiment, the article of clothing 100 may be arranged as a kit 105. In particular, the article of clothing 100 may further include a set of instructions 155. The instructions 155 may detail functional relationships in relation to the structure of the article of clothing 100 (such that the article of clothing 100 can be used, maintained, or the like, in a preferred manner).

FIG. 2 is a front view of a detail of the article of clothing, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Here, a two heel accessories 120 are shown, and embodied as different animals. As above, the article of clothing 100 may include the heel accessory 120 configured to attach to the item of footwear 110 (FIG. 1) and to cover at least a portion of the heel of the foot. As shown, each heel accessory 120 may include a plush toy 200 including at least one animal face 210 having at least one eye 215. The plush toy 200 may further include a pair of arms 220 and the heel accessory fastener 130 may be arranged such that the plush toy 200 can attach to the item of footwear 110 with an appearance of the plush toy 200 hugging at least a portion of the heel, for example by its appendages. Furthermore, the heel accessory 120 and the heel accessory fastener 130 may be arranged to give the plush toy 200 an appearance of peering around the heel and forward, relative to the foot (e.g., offset head, elongated neck, articulating neck, etc.). The heel accessory 120 may be interchangeably attachable to other items of footwear 110. The heel accessory 120 may further be made of washable materials.

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of a detail of the article of clothing of FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In particular, the rear of the item of footwear 110 is shown illustrating a means of attaching the heel accessory 120 (not shown). Here, the heel accessory fastener 130 is partially shown as a female portion of a snap fastener. Other fasteners are contemplated.

The item of footwear 110 may be embodied in various form factors and configurations. For example, the footwear 110 may be provided as at least one of an infant size and a toddler size and furthermore, may be arranged as a dress shoe, a sneaker, a slipper, a sandal or a boot. The item of footwear 110 may further be provided as customizable with a variety of heel accessories 120 as shown in the various views.

FIG. 4 is another perspective view of a detail of the article of clothing, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Here, the heel accessory fastener 130 is shown in detail, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, the heel accessory fastener 130 may include a first half fastener 400 fixed to the item of footwear 110 and a second half fastener 410 fixed to the heel accessory 120, the first half fastener 400 correlating to the second half fastener 410 and configured to form a mating relationship with the second half fastener 410. The heel accessory fastener 130 may further include a left attach point to a left side of the item of footwear 110 relative to a left side of the foot, and may further include a right attach point to a right side of the item of footwear 110 relative to a right side of the foot. Furthermore, the heel accessory fastener 130 may be located at a substantial distance from the sole of the item of footwear 110 to prevent the heel accessory 120 from coming into contact with the ground.

According to one embodiment, the heel accessory fastener 130 may be configured to permanently attach the heel accessory 120 to the item of footwear 110 and may include one of the first half fastener 400 and the second half fastener 410 configured as a permanently fixed rivet. According to an alternate embodiment, the heel accessory fastener 130 may be configured to removably attach the heel accessory 120 to the item of footwear 110 and may include one of the first half fastener 400 and the second half fastener 410 arranged as a snap fastener.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for attaching a heel accessory to an item of footwear, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In particular, the method for attaching a heel accessory to an item of footwear 500 may include one or more components or features of the article of clothing 100 as described above. As illustrated, the method for attaching a heel accessory to an item of footwear 500 may include the steps of: step one 501, donning an item of footwear; step two 502, fastening a heel accessory to the item of footwear; step three 503, unfastening the heel accessory from the item of footwear; and step four 504, replacing the heel accessory with another heel accessory.

It should be noted that steps 503 and 504 are optional steps and may not be implemented in all cases. Optional steps of method of use 500 are illustrated using dotted lines in FIG. 5 so as to distinguish them from the other steps of method of use 500. It should also be noted that the steps described in the method of use can be carried out in many different orders according to user preference. The use of “step of” should not be interpreted as “step for”, in the claims herein and is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112(f). It should also be noted that, under appropriate circumstances, considering such issues as design preference, user preferences, marketing preferences, cost, structural requirements, available materials, technological advances, etc., other methods for attaching a heel accessory to an item of footwear (e.g., different step orders within above-mentioned list, elimination or addition of certain steps, including or excluding certain maintenance steps, etc.), are taught herein.

The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary and numerous modifications, variations and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which are intended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention. Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. 

What is claimed is new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims:
 1. An article of clothing, comprising: an item of footwear including a sole and an at least partial foot covering configured to attach said item of footwear to a foot; a heel accessory configured to attach to the item of footwear and to cover at least a portion of the heel of the foot; a heel accessory fastener configured to attach the heel accessory to the item of footwear.
 2. The article of clothing of claim 1 wherein the item of footwear is at least one of an infant size and a toddler size.
 3. The article of clothing of claim 1, wherein the item of footwear is arranged as a dress shoe, a sneaker, a slipper, a sandal or a boot.
 4. The article of clothing of claim 1, wherein the heel accessory fastener is further configured to permanently attach the heel accessory to the item of footwear.
 5. The article of clothing of claim 1, wherein the accessory fastener is further configured to removably attach the heel accessory to the item of footwear.
 6. The article of clothing of claim 1, wherein said heel accessory fastener includes a first half fastener fixed to the item of footwear and a second half fastener fixed to the heel accessory, the first half fastener correlating to the second half fastener and configured to form a mating relationship with the second half fastener.
 7. The article of clothing of claim 6, wherein one of the first half fastener and the second half fastener includes a permanently fixed rivet.
 8. The article of clothing of claim 6, wherein one of the first half fastener and the second half fastener include a snap fastener.
 9. The article of clothing of claim 1, wherein the heel accessory is configured as a plush toy including at least one animal face having at least one eye.
 10. The article of clothing of claim 9, wherein the plush toy further includes a pair of arms; and wherein the heel accessory fastener is arranged such that the plush toy attaches to the item of footwear with an appearance of the plush toy hugging at least a portion of the heel.
 11. The article of clothing of claim 9, wherein the heel accessory and the heel accessory fastener are arranged to give the plush toy an appearance of peering around the heel and forward, relative to the foot.
 12. The article of clothing of claim 1, wherein the heel accessory fastener is located at a substantial distance from the sole of the item of footwear to prevent the heel accessory from coming into contact with the ground.
 13. The article of clothing of claim 1, wherein the heel accessory is interchangeably attachable to other items of footwear.
 14. The article of clothing of claim 1, wherein the item of footwear is customizable with a variety of said heel accessories.
 15. The article of clothing of claim 1, wherein the heel accessory fastener includes a left attach point to a left side of the item of footwear relative to a left side of the foot, and further includes a right attach point to a right side of the item of footwear relative to a right side of the foot.
 16. The article of clothing of claim 1, wherein the heel accessory is washable.
 17. An article of clothing comprising: an item of footwear including a sole and an at least partial foot covering configured to attach said item of footwear to a foot; a heel accessory configured to attach to the item of footwear and to cover at least a portion of the heel of the foot; and a heel accessory fastener configured to attach the heel accessory to the item of footwear; and wherein the item of footwear is at least one of an infant size and a toddler size; wherein the item of footwear is arranged as a dress shoe, a sneaker, a slipper, a sandal or a boot; wherein the accessory fastener is further configured to removably attach the heel accessory to the item of footwear; wherein the heel accessory fastener includes a first half fastener fixed to the item of footwear and a second half fastener fixed to the heel accessory, the first half fastener correlating to the second half fastener and configured to form a mating relationship with the second half fastener; wherein one of the first half fastener and the second half fastener include a snap fastener; wherein the heel accessory is configured as a plush toy including at least one animal face having at least one eye; wherein the plush toy further includes a pair of arms; and wherein the heel accessory fastener is arranged such that the plush toy attaches to the item of footwear with an appearance of the plush toy hugging at least a portion of the heel; wherein the heel accessory and the heel accessory fastener are arranged to give the plush toy an appearance of peering around the heel and forward, relative to the foot; wherein the heel accessory fastener is located at a substantial distance from the sole of the item of footwear to prevent the heel accessory from coming into contact with the ground; wherein the heel accessory is interchangeably attachable to other items of footwear; wherein the item of footwear is customizable with a variety of said heel accessories; wherein the heel accessory fastener includes a left attach point to a left side of the item of footwear relative to a left side of the foot, and further includes a right attach point to a right side of the item of footwear relative to a right side of the foot; and wherein the heel accessory is washable.
 18. The article of clothing of claim 17, further comprising set of instructions; and wherein the article of clothing is arranged as a kit.
 19. A method for fastening a heel accessory to an item of footwear, the method comprising the steps of: donning an item of footwear; and fastening a heel accessory to the item of footwear.
 20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of unfastening the heel accessory from the item of footwear; and replacing the heel accessory with another heel accessory. 